La Voz de Aztlan, March 22 1991
Item
Title
La Voz de Aztlan, March 22 1991
Creator
Associated Students of Fresno State
Relation
La Voz de Aztlan (Daily Collegian, California State University, Fresno)
Coverage
Fresno, California
Date
3/22/1991
Format
PDF
Identifier
SCUA_lvda_00195
extracted text
California State University, Fresno
Volume XXIII
Issue No.2
Friday, March 22, 1991
Lavoz de Aztlan
Chicanos berate trustees with protest
• More than 50 Chicanos take part in event
By JOE M. TORRES
La Voz Staff Writer
A protest rally bus with ChicanoLatino professors, Chicano student
leaders, and community leaders
went to the CSU Board of Trustees
meeting seeking to stop the presidential search and asking for the
resignation of the chair of the Trustees, William 8. Campbell.
As the bus pulled up to the front
of the Chancellor's office in Long
Beach, protesters moved into the
foreground ofthefacilitywi1h signs,
"Stop the Search" and "Ch ale con
Campbell" which we're a'so
chanted in front of the Conference
Center.
A portion of the meeting opened
to allow Chicano leaders to voice
their opposition to the presidential
search which they have called
'tainted."
Chair of the Chicano and Latin
American studies department Bill
Flores called for an end to the "exclusionary practices" of the CSU
Board of Trustees with Chicanos.
Flores, who chairs the Committee for Hispanic Educational Equity that has been protesting the
search since winter break, organized the rally and bus trip to the
conference.
Earlier this semesteJ~ the commitee issued a statement before
the Academic Senate at CSUF.
The resolution charged that the
presidential search process was
bigoted, racist and invalidated the
"Stop the white Anglo mentality
of saying that above all we're unqualified."
-Ben Benavidez, National President
Mexican-American Political Association
chief aim of affirmative action.
The committee asked that the
entire search be aborted a newly
constituted selection committee be
P.rogran,_
p
.
-"'
~
In honor of Benito
Juarez, Born non March 21 ,
1806 m San Pablo Guelattao,· Oaxaca. His parents
were Indios zapotecos. At
the age ot 4 he was orphaned and wentto live with
his grandmother. Upon her
death he was put into the
care of his uncle, who had
him work as a sheep herder.
In 1818,Juarezwent
to the capital of Oaxaca to
visit his sister, who worked
as a cook in the home of don
Antonio Maza. Juarez did
not know how to speak
Spanish. Since his native
language was zapoteco.
While in the city he made a
favorable impression on don
Antonio Salanueva and don
Domigo Gonzalaz. They
took an interest in Juarez,
and taught him how to
speak, read and write Spanish.
Juarez began his
formal education at Seminario de la Santa Cruz. While
there he studied latin and
philosophy among other
courses. He received his
bachelor's degreee in 1827.
Those nine years were the
formative years in Benito's
life. Theywouldsetthefoundation forthe way that Benito
would become. ·
As a lawyer, Juarez
went to work on the behalf of
Indians, because of his work
he was named "Juez de lo
Civil" in 1841.
Juarez was first
elected President of Mexico
on January 18, 1858. He
served as President until his
unexpected death on July
18,1872.
formed. These same concerns
were addressed at the OSU Board
of Trustees meeting in Long Beach
· __es
.
·
during the 1O minutes alotted to
the equity committee.
"Realities and discrimination
continue to hamper the (search)
process," said Flores._
A remark made by Armando
Arroyo, head of lmpacto 2000,
state Latino organization, su mmec
up the concerns of the many Chi
cane CSU faculty and community
"Taking the action to exclude us
because to exclude us is only to
create a power-kick sItuaticn thats
reminisence of what's hap1 ienmg
to in the Soviet Union," Arroyo said
"The future of California is the future of cultural pluralism."
This sentiment was added to b
Mexican-American Political Association National President Ben
Benavidez. Benavidez said, "Stop
see RALLY Page 4
___- r-- people
in need
.
.
HECTOR AMEZCUA/La Voz de Azt•n
Elpidia Mendoza, a single mother of four children, lost her home to a tomado. The tomado damaged her motorhome in Goshen last month. Mendoza,
who was laid off because of the freeze, has been assisted by the CSET program which provided her family with food and shelter.
By VIRGINIA ADAME
La Voz Assistant Editor
A migrant family walks into the CSET office in search of help. Their
problem - they haven't eaten in two days.
According to Lali Moheno, coordinator at the Community Services
Employment Training (CSET) office, this scene is typical of the
situations the staff at CSET have had to handle in the wake of the
freeze that hit the state in late December.
"CSET ... is the community action programforTulareCounty,"said
Moheno. "CSET has been around for a long time. We used to be part
of another organization called Self-Help Employment Training," she
said.
According to Moheno the job of CSET is to admin isterprograms for
the low-income community in this county.
"Our goal is to help people achieve self sufficiency. In otherwords,
wedon'twantto ju~tgivethem handouts and say, 'Okay, we're going
to pay your bill. Bye.' We like to pay [the) bill, find out why people are
short and refer them. If they need jobs, we refer them to our
employment training section," said Moheno.
The agency gets some money from the Federal Emergency
Management Act (FEMA). FEMA money goes to payforsome of the
emergency services necessitated by natural disasters.
When the tornado struck the small valley community of Goshen,
it destroyed the home of a single Latina motherw~h several children.
She and herfour children needed help. CSET has temporarily set her
up in a motel and is providing her with emergency relief to help get
her back on her feet.
see CSET, Page 4
I
N
s 2POETRY
I
D
E
Poems to ponder
2COMMENTARY 4FEATURE
Food drive for farm
laborers
Diversity through EOP
3NEWS
Family copes in wake of
freeze
Friday, March 22, 1991
La Voz de Aztlan
2
Sorority requests support for
Valley freeze victims
We are writing this letter to
express our feelings about a
serious dilemma facing our
valley and our communities.
We're certain that most people
are aware of the winter freeze
that has damaged and destroyed a vast amount of agriculture, which is what the San
Joaquin Valley thrives upon.
An area that was hard hit is the
citrus industry. Not only were
crops lost, but now over 15,000
citrus workers have lost their
jobs.
Mexican Americans make up
the backbone of the farm labor
industry - they are the ones
who put food on our tables,
however, people don't seem to
be too concerned that because
of the freeze, these workers
cannot afford to put food on
their own tables. Families are
moving
in
togetherto
be able ·
to afford
r e n t
costs.
B e causeso
many
people
are living in one household, it
makes each family ineligible
for welfare benefits. The only
meals their children receive are
the ones provided for them in
school. Outside of the Fresno
Unified School District, these
lunch programs are rarely
available. In the Visalia area,
another tragedy some families
"Oh, w_hat an unfortunate situation," and ignore it because it
is not "their problem," however,
as members of
lambda Sigma
Gamma, a new sorority at CSUF, we
plan to take action
to help feed the
people who, in essence feed us.
With this in mind,
we have organized
a food and clothing
drive to assist farmworking
families in need. A bake sale
was held as an immediate fundraiser to help with the cash
assistance to also buy food and
pay bills and shelter costs.
We realize this isn't enough,
Mexican Americans make up
the backbone of the farm labor
industry-they are the ones who
put food on our tables .....
were affected by was the tornado that damaged their
homes.
It is our concern that these
people are given some support
and assistance. Anyone can
look at the situation and say,
Hector Amezcua - Editor
Virginia Adame - Assistant Editor
Christopher Heredia - Copy Editor
however, we are trying to contribute what we can at this time.
We are doing our part, but we
need more support and donations. If there is anyone who
would also like to do their part
in helping with articles of clothing, non-perishable food items,
or cash donations, please
contact Anissa Rozadilla at
University Outreeach Services,
278-2048. Every little bit counts. ·
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Gloria Hernandez, President
Anissa Rosadilla, Vice President
lambda Sigma Gamma
Sorority
Wr\ ~N /\ M
r.
&~'T,\N& B~,-r~R
'Of:>.S)
Staff Writers:
Cristina Medina
Joe M. Torres
?
Erik Vallejo - Cartoonist
Andres Montoya - Columnist
Daniel Chacon - Poetry Editor
La Voz de Aztlan is published monthly.
Any comments please write to "La Voz de
Aztlan"
MS #42 Keats Campus Building
Fresno, CA 93740
\I\CTlf\115
NEWHOME
this new home
of mine
does not have a
welcome mat
outside the door
the bathroom is
directly across
from our room
I drag in new leaves
and mud
our carpet is
quite soiled.
Her side of the room
is always filled wtth
happiness,
friends, admirers and
whoever else
is interested to
come worship
her White spirit.
I have been made
tofeel like
a stranger in there
why do i not belong
with all of those
who enter without
a care about
anybody else but
her and them?
i remain quiet
sad, lonely
and worthless
such as i was
not meant to be.
when the year is over
iwill move
out and rejoice.
i do not expect
to ever see these
faces again,
nor do they wish
to see mine.
my new home. is a
troubled place
where i sleep,
and stare out the window
watting for the earth
to invite me In.
Lucia Sanchez
,
,
i remember your stone
grip, how you didn't see any of it,
how we walked out of roses
that smelled of your rotting flesh,
my uncle's grave
when I ~as a child
you took my hand
gently and we walked
through a garden of dead
roses. this was your uncle
who was killed for sheep,
you told me.
Andres Montoya
World Piece
On a lonley dirt road
Parks a Yugoslavian car
With a peace with Nicaragua
sign
Carrying a British African Jew
And a Lebanese Chicana
i remember this now,
a bottle of whiskey warming
Chugg ling Portuguese wine
. · my cold chest. i remember
Smoking Jamaican Sensimilla
the spirits that danced
Wishing they had some Colombian
on stones wanting to play
with my infancy, to teach
Listening to Dinah Washington
On the Japanese car stereo.
me everything of wind.
He is groping beneath a Taiwanese
I remember the earth
inviting me to stay a while,
Stitched lacy white bra
to eat from her mouth, to
While she r~ciprocates
converse
With tender strokes inside
with flying beetles and worms, His Korean made briefs
to dance on her womb
After undoing the hand tooled
until the moon was
Italian crafted leather belt
In my stomach.
Which holds up the
#
El Salvadoran sewn Levis
Which were removed after
untieing
The green Mexican manufactured laces
Which hold together the sneakers
Mass produced in Hong Kong
So that the hand adorning the
American Indian turquoise rings
Can reach inside the Guatamalan book bag
And get at the French Tickler.
Larry Hobson
Friday, March 22, 1991
La Voz de Aztlan
3
No job, no food, ·no power
By VIRGINIA ADAME
La Voz Assistant Editor
The Ramos family sits in a dimly
lit room of their home that serves
as both a living room and kitchen.
Emilia Velasco is tall:iig her
mother what the people at the
CSET office have told her. They
had just received a notice from the
electric company that their power
wou ld be shut off for failure to pay
their bill.
Velasco went to the CSET (Community Services Employment
Training) office, along with her
brother, 17-year-old Demetrio Ramos. Herbrothertranslatesfor her.
The two went to see if CSET could
help them with this dilemma. CSEt
said they would be able to provide
the family with some assistance.
The Ramos family is just one of
many families who have been affected by the freeze that hit the
state in December. The freeze not
only robbed the farmers of their
crops, it also robbed the farm laborers of their jobs.
Before the freeze, Velasco
worked in a citrus packing shed.
The packing shed was forced to
close as a result of the freeze.
The family struggles to get by.
Velasco has been looking for work,
without much success.
"The textile factory requires experience, other places want you to
know English or they won't hire
you," Velasco said.
Velasco said she can't do much
about acquiring experience, but
she is going to school to learn
English. Classes are held at the
Catholic church in Farmersville.
The family lives in a labor camp
on the outskirts of Farmersville.
They have been living here for the
past 1O years. The main reason
they have stayed here so long is
that it is about the only place that
they can afford. "We haven't been
able to move out because of the
rent and the deposits," Velasco
said. Camp Leonel is a low income
camp for low income earners.
The family came from Oaxaca
for an opportunity at a better life.
The matriarch of the family, Juana
Ramos, speaks very limited Spanish; her native language is Mixteco
which is a dialect spoken in
Oaxaca.
''The government of Mexico does
not help the nation of Oaxaca,"
Velasco said. According to Velasco, there are no water pumps
and no machines or donkeys to do
the work. She also adds that there
are no free things to help them
over there. "Here education is free,
we want our children to study and
get an education here," Velasco
said.
Another problem the family is
faced with is paying the rent each
month. For each day the rent is
late, the camp office charges the
people $1 Oextra each day the rent
is late being paid. According to Velasco, the office won'ttake any excuses. "They don't understand the
need of the poor," Velasco said.
How long the Ramos family will
be out of work is hard to say. But
until they are able to get on more
stable ground - they will be living
day to day, wondering how they
will make ends meet.
Photos By HECTOR AMEZCUA
Demetria and Emilia sit in the CSET office as a worker explains what assistance they cc:m
provide tor them.
Juana Ramos, the matriarch, listens to what is going en, without understanding the language.
Emilia and her mottmr - two generations - both facing the future
with uncertainty.
Friday, March 22, 1991
La Voz de Aztlan
4
I
OP incre~sed the diversity
of ·s tudents during the &Os
By CRISTINA MEDINA
La Voz Staff Writer
Out of the roots of the civil
rights movement in the '60s
came a program aimed at correcting racial imbalances in the
system of higher education.
The Educational Opportunity
Program (EOP) was created as
an experiment. It focused on
bringing students of color and
those from low income families
into the university setting.
"There was a social awakening of the injustices that had
been occurring in education. In
California, there was pressure
on highereducationtofindways
to open the door for African
are not eligibleforanything else,"
Moheno said.
"Through Congressman
[Calvin] Dooley, who has been
•Continued from Page 1
just excellent with us, he urged
Because agriculture is such a immigration to please waive rehuge part of the valley's eco- quirements because we have
nomic base, the freeze hungry people. So finally in the
squeezed the valley especially end of January, they came out
tight. In the past three months, with a ruling that they could
the CSET offices have seen receive helpwithoutjeapordizing
double the number of people their status.
they usually serve.
"But as the statement reads, it
A large portion of the citrus does not identify any of the procrop was lost due to the freeze. grams. It's just a blank stateAlong with the lost crop, thou- ment. So we're still without any
sandsoffarm laborers'jobswere help. We're operating strictly on
.ost. The majority of ttlese people donations."
liave~t-of-Wprk-smGa ~ ~-What GSET· was-te~tor
end of Oecemoor. F offfiem It Is · from immigration, said Moheno, '
ot all that easy to get another was a statement saying they
b.Manyobstacles standinthier would wa1vethe lmm1grationRe,ay.Onebeingthelackofknow- form and Control Act (IRCA) reg the English language. An- quirements, so that the undocuther 1s the fact that many of mented would be eligible for unese farm laborers are also- urr.. ~ ernptoyment benefits, Medi-Cal,
ccumented worKers.
food stamps and the like. All
This poses fl especially big 'hese programs are still affected
roblem for CSET. The funds · by the amnesty program. ~
1ey have cannot be used to
CSE T has also set up a
elp undocumente d workers.
number of food banks through~
"They are not eligible for un- out Tulare Cou nty to help he
mployment and they are not farm workers, espec1allyt he unigible for a lot of our services. documented, by providing them
-,e way that we are helping Is · witli food. The food that js dis~
eople ate qiving us private do- tributed comes strictly from
ations," said Moheno.
, donations.
"Private donations are very
According to Moheno, Mt.
'"'1ponant to us because th at Whitn·ey High School MEChA
oneywe give it to pay bills, pay donated $1 ,000 worth of food,
,ent to the undocumented who the Lions donated $5,000 worth
CSET
Americans, Chicanos and
American Indians, as the groups
that had been primarily underrepresented in higher education," said EOP Director Robert
Hernandez.
·-In response to local pressure,
Project 17 was established at
CSUF in 1967. It was the stepping stone that set the basic
of food . But these donations are
still not enough. The food goes
fast and more is needed every
day.
"We only give families, once a
week, a 35-pound box of food.
Thirty-five pounds is nothing. We
give them a little bit of flour, a
little bit of beans, a little bit of rice
and maybe a few cans of whatever there is that was donated.
That's all they get for one week.
No milk, no dairy products, no
meats. Nothing. That's all they're
getting," Moheno said.
The majority of the families
who use the services at CSET
~ have been~living day to gay for
"1tm7J?St thm ·momns--:-Tney
don't know if they will have food
on the table th at day, they don't
know if they will be evicted tomorrowfornothavingthemoney
to pay the rent. The asst.tance
provided by CSET is nor enough
for most, said Moheno.
Moheno said a tot a e t•me
she is caugntin.cr1;a1c 2 ito-.
ation where she Is forc&d to
decide if CSET i~ goin 4 to keep
the family from being ✓icted or
if she is going to provide them
. with food first.
With lirruted funds ,o h~lb the
hundreds of people wno come
into the office looking for help,
CSET is stretched to •ts limits.
"We are in .dire need of donations," Moheno said.
J
principal behind what was to and course credits were given.
become EOP.
Counseling and tutorial serv"A committee was put toices were also provided to stugetherto go out to the commu- dents in Project 17.
nity to bring in 17 black and
"It was the basis of what we
_P!OWn students. It was the first
have today. In 1968, the legislauniversity-wid~ effort to recruit tion to establish EOPwasgoing
and offer guidance and support through, and what it did was
to minority students," said Her- stM the Educational Opportunandez.
nity Programetfective in 1969."
"It probably doubled the
The EOP program today
minority student population on
serves two main functions. It
campus. You could count all seeks out and provides access
the African American, Chicano, to higher education to low inand Indian students on campus come families. EOP also prousing yourfingers and toes-it vides special admission to those
was that kind of institution."
underrepresented students that
Project 17 was a forerunner often would never have had a
of EOP at CSUF.
chance to get past high school.
The thrust behind Project 17 EOP students are subject to
was to provide a college expe- orientations, academic advising,
rience during the summerto the personal counseling and help
participating students. Classes . with financial aid.
in English and math we retaken
"Our goals, by providing
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ special admission and retention support services, are to get
students through the university.
We don't want a revolving door,
• Contjnued from page 1
studentsgo through and get out
,
our~sist~nce, ,We lwiw,
- --=~....ew~ AngtomeTitaqfyoTs·a · our services makeadIfference,
ing that above all we're unquali- said Hernandez.
fied."
·•You [CSU Board of Trustees]
Those differences, said Herinsultustimeanotimeagain. We're nandez, include increased
not .going to take it anymore 'Ya graduation rates, higherGPAs,
Basta'. Ya Basta' "Stop the increased student-facilitylnterSearch!"
action and a tendency in students
to hold more units per seLambda Theta Nu President
mester.
_Verpnica.Lopez said.th8 Tr_us.tee§
What began with 17 students
prowied her no reassurance th at that first year, has since grown
th ey would meet any of th e
to become a $3-million program.
committee.'s requeStS.
Hernandez said there are cu r'They're supposed to be plan- rently over 1,600 students in
ning a better curnculum for us." EOP. But because of the popuLooe-z said "We orove all th e way lantythe program has acquired,
from Fresno, and th ey gave us 1O problems with accommodating
minutes, th ey [the Board of Trus- interested students have retees] should be th ere fo r us."
sulted.
"It's an important historica l
stance,"saidCSUF-Collegeof the
• Sequoias representative Manuel
Olgin. "Students, facu lty, staff and
Rally
_
.
nderstanding the role of Chicanos as leaders
on the university level and in the community
By JOE M. TORRES
La Voz Staff Writer
Chicano students learned the role of leadership during the Chicano Leadership Conference which was held earlier this month.
The coordinator of the conference, CLS
instructor Julia Balderas explained at the
beginning of the conference that Chicano
students had an important voice at the university, in our community and in our nation.
Several ideas about leadership were raised
at the beginning of the conference. Good
leadership, said Balderas, involves feeling
good about yourself, being aware of what
makes a strong leader and the understanding that no one becomes a born leader
overnight.
Everbody, said Balderas, is born the same
way. Good leaders are people who think
less of themselves and more of the group. A
leader, she said, is someone who starts out
as an everyday person.
During the conference, the group was assembled into several smaller groups to discuss problems facing Chicano students.
Each group of students emerged with a
problem facing Chicanos.
Three main issues were debated. The first
involved the presidential selection and the
issue of their being no Latino representation
ii nthe presidential candidates, the question
of education, addressing the problems of
high-school drop-outs.
The final topic concerned racism and the
limits Chicanos and Chicanas face on the
job and in politics in terms of the "glass
ceiling" ideology, which says that women
and people of color face a "glass ceiling"
barrier in career advancement.
Through the efforts of speakers and other
fellow faculty the first phase of conference
oriented Chicano students to leadership challenges and tactics.
This orientation was followed by Lea Ybarra, professor of Chicano and Latin American Studies, who spoke about not missing
out on leadership opportunities.
Chicanos need "new leaders to make sure
the old opportunities aren' t taken away,"
she said.
Ybarra said Chicanas receive less than an
adequate education in school and on the
job.
"Giving women more freedom lifts the
pressure off men" - the pressure of always
having to be the provider, Ybarra said.
Other concerns Ybarra spoke of were the
millions of dollars spent for the Persian Gulf
War and the continuing involement in Central and Latin American goverments by the
United States.
Later in the conference, a film titled "The
Break of Dawn" portrayed the challenges
Chicanos face in leadership roles.
The film was a about a young Mexican
immigrant arriving into Los Angeles in the
1920's with his wife, only to face a life of
oppression by Mexican iokens" and Anglo
bureaucrats.
· Pedro Juan Gonzalez, who the film portrayed, was a Mexican baladeer and became a radio pioneer, but during the course
of his rising popularity became accused of a
rape. He was laterexhaulted of the charges.
Gonzalez was jailed at San Quentin for a
period, but his innocence was finally proven.
The film showed graphic portrayals of racist
comments and the racist environment which
existed at that time.
Alex Gonzalez, chair of the psychology
department, explained the role of leadership. He said the role of the followers is
equally important to that of the leader.
"A good leader needs to recognize, they
may not be an effective leader" said Gonzalez
"A good leader is also a good follower"
Physical characteristics are an important
factorto effective leadership. Height, weight
and intelligence are several physical elements of key importance of a effective leadership qualities.
The practices of organizations in group
meetings was another topic introduced by
Reentry counselor Angie Cisneros.
Knowledge of "parlimentary procedures,"
Cisneros said "helps to have the basics."
"Robert's Rules of Order," which describes
parlimetary procedures ,is a very effective
tool for participation in meetings, she said.
Cisneros, also introduced the importance
by-laws have for a group. By-laws are the
"rulr.:s" a group agrees to live by, and they
can be amended or thrown out as a group
sees fit.
Volume XXIII
Issue No.2
Friday, March 22, 1991
Lavoz de Aztlan
Chicanos berate trustees with protest
• More than 50 Chicanos take part in event
By JOE M. TORRES
La Voz Staff Writer
A protest rally bus with ChicanoLatino professors, Chicano student
leaders, and community leaders
went to the CSU Board of Trustees
meeting seeking to stop the presidential search and asking for the
resignation of the chair of the Trustees, William 8. Campbell.
As the bus pulled up to the front
of the Chancellor's office in Long
Beach, protesters moved into the
foreground ofthefacilitywi1h signs,
"Stop the Search" and "Ch ale con
Campbell" which we're a'so
chanted in front of the Conference
Center.
A portion of the meeting opened
to allow Chicano leaders to voice
their opposition to the presidential
search which they have called
'tainted."
Chair of the Chicano and Latin
American studies department Bill
Flores called for an end to the "exclusionary practices" of the CSU
Board of Trustees with Chicanos.
Flores, who chairs the Committee for Hispanic Educational Equity that has been protesting the
search since winter break, organized the rally and bus trip to the
conference.
Earlier this semesteJ~ the commitee issued a statement before
the Academic Senate at CSUF.
The resolution charged that the
presidential search process was
bigoted, racist and invalidated the
"Stop the white Anglo mentality
of saying that above all we're unqualified."
-Ben Benavidez, National President
Mexican-American Political Association
chief aim of affirmative action.
The committee asked that the
entire search be aborted a newly
constituted selection committee be
P.rogran,_
p
.
-"'
~
In honor of Benito
Juarez, Born non March 21 ,
1806 m San Pablo Guelattao,· Oaxaca. His parents
were Indios zapotecos. At
the age ot 4 he was orphaned and wentto live with
his grandmother. Upon her
death he was put into the
care of his uncle, who had
him work as a sheep herder.
In 1818,Juarezwent
to the capital of Oaxaca to
visit his sister, who worked
as a cook in the home of don
Antonio Maza. Juarez did
not know how to speak
Spanish. Since his native
language was zapoteco.
While in the city he made a
favorable impression on don
Antonio Salanueva and don
Domigo Gonzalaz. They
took an interest in Juarez,
and taught him how to
speak, read and write Spanish.
Juarez began his
formal education at Seminario de la Santa Cruz. While
there he studied latin and
philosophy among other
courses. He received his
bachelor's degreee in 1827.
Those nine years were the
formative years in Benito's
life. Theywouldsetthefoundation forthe way that Benito
would become. ·
As a lawyer, Juarez
went to work on the behalf of
Indians, because of his work
he was named "Juez de lo
Civil" in 1841.
Juarez was first
elected President of Mexico
on January 18, 1858. He
served as President until his
unexpected death on July
18,1872.
formed. These same concerns
were addressed at the OSU Board
of Trustees meeting in Long Beach
· __es
.
·
during the 1O minutes alotted to
the equity committee.
"Realities and discrimination
continue to hamper the (search)
process," said Flores._
A remark made by Armando
Arroyo, head of lmpacto 2000,
state Latino organization, su mmec
up the concerns of the many Chi
cane CSU faculty and community
"Taking the action to exclude us
because to exclude us is only to
create a power-kick sItuaticn thats
reminisence of what's hap1 ienmg
to in the Soviet Union," Arroyo said
"The future of California is the future of cultural pluralism."
This sentiment was added to b
Mexican-American Political Association National President Ben
Benavidez. Benavidez said, "Stop
see RALLY Page 4
___- r-- people
in need
.
.
HECTOR AMEZCUA/La Voz de Azt•n
Elpidia Mendoza, a single mother of four children, lost her home to a tomado. The tomado damaged her motorhome in Goshen last month. Mendoza,
who was laid off because of the freeze, has been assisted by the CSET program which provided her family with food and shelter.
By VIRGINIA ADAME
La Voz Assistant Editor
A migrant family walks into the CSET office in search of help. Their
problem - they haven't eaten in two days.
According to Lali Moheno, coordinator at the Community Services
Employment Training (CSET) office, this scene is typical of the
situations the staff at CSET have had to handle in the wake of the
freeze that hit the state in late December.
"CSET ... is the community action programforTulareCounty,"said
Moheno. "CSET has been around for a long time. We used to be part
of another organization called Self-Help Employment Training," she
said.
According to Moheno the job of CSET is to admin isterprograms for
the low-income community in this county.
"Our goal is to help people achieve self sufficiency. In otherwords,
wedon'twantto ju~tgivethem handouts and say, 'Okay, we're going
to pay your bill. Bye.' We like to pay [the) bill, find out why people are
short and refer them. If they need jobs, we refer them to our
employment training section," said Moheno.
The agency gets some money from the Federal Emergency
Management Act (FEMA). FEMA money goes to payforsome of the
emergency services necessitated by natural disasters.
When the tornado struck the small valley community of Goshen,
it destroyed the home of a single Latina motherw~h several children.
She and herfour children needed help. CSET has temporarily set her
up in a motel and is providing her with emergency relief to help get
her back on her feet.
see CSET, Page 4
I
N
s 2POETRY
I
D
E
Poems to ponder
2COMMENTARY 4FEATURE
Food drive for farm
laborers
Diversity through EOP
3NEWS
Family copes in wake of
freeze
Friday, March 22, 1991
La Voz de Aztlan
2
Sorority requests support for
Valley freeze victims
We are writing this letter to
express our feelings about a
serious dilemma facing our
valley and our communities.
We're certain that most people
are aware of the winter freeze
that has damaged and destroyed a vast amount of agriculture, which is what the San
Joaquin Valley thrives upon.
An area that was hard hit is the
citrus industry. Not only were
crops lost, but now over 15,000
citrus workers have lost their
jobs.
Mexican Americans make up
the backbone of the farm labor
industry - they are the ones
who put food on our tables,
however, people don't seem to
be too concerned that because
of the freeze, these workers
cannot afford to put food on
their own tables. Families are
moving
in
togetherto
be able ·
to afford
r e n t
costs.
B e causeso
many
people
are living in one household, it
makes each family ineligible
for welfare benefits. The only
meals their children receive are
the ones provided for them in
school. Outside of the Fresno
Unified School District, these
lunch programs are rarely
available. In the Visalia area,
another tragedy some families
"Oh, w_hat an unfortunate situation," and ignore it because it
is not "their problem," however,
as members of
lambda Sigma
Gamma, a new sorority at CSUF, we
plan to take action
to help feed the
people who, in essence feed us.
With this in mind,
we have organized
a food and clothing
drive to assist farmworking
families in need. A bake sale
was held as an immediate fundraiser to help with the cash
assistance to also buy food and
pay bills and shelter costs.
We realize this isn't enough,
Mexican Americans make up
the backbone of the farm labor
industry-they are the ones who
put food on our tables .....
were affected by was the tornado that damaged their
homes.
It is our concern that these
people are given some support
and assistance. Anyone can
look at the situation and say,
Hector Amezcua - Editor
Virginia Adame - Assistant Editor
Christopher Heredia - Copy Editor
however, we are trying to contribute what we can at this time.
We are doing our part, but we
need more support and donations. If there is anyone who
would also like to do their part
in helping with articles of clothing, non-perishable food items,
or cash donations, please
contact Anissa Rozadilla at
University Outreeach Services,
278-2048. Every little bit counts. ·
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Gloria Hernandez, President
Anissa Rosadilla, Vice President
lambda Sigma Gamma
Sorority
Wr\ ~N /\ M
r.
&~'T,\N& B~,-r~R
'Of:>.S)
Staff Writers:
Cristina Medina
Joe M. Torres
?
Erik Vallejo - Cartoonist
Andres Montoya - Columnist
Daniel Chacon - Poetry Editor
La Voz de Aztlan is published monthly.
Any comments please write to "La Voz de
Aztlan"
MS #42 Keats Campus Building
Fresno, CA 93740
\I\CTlf\115
NEWHOME
this new home
of mine
does not have a
welcome mat
outside the door
the bathroom is
directly across
from our room
I drag in new leaves
and mud
our carpet is
quite soiled.
Her side of the room
is always filled wtth
happiness,
friends, admirers and
whoever else
is interested to
come worship
her White spirit.
I have been made
tofeel like
a stranger in there
why do i not belong
with all of those
who enter without
a care about
anybody else but
her and them?
i remain quiet
sad, lonely
and worthless
such as i was
not meant to be.
when the year is over
iwill move
out and rejoice.
i do not expect
to ever see these
faces again,
nor do they wish
to see mine.
my new home. is a
troubled place
where i sleep,
and stare out the window
watting for the earth
to invite me In.
Lucia Sanchez
,
,
i remember your stone
grip, how you didn't see any of it,
how we walked out of roses
that smelled of your rotting flesh,
my uncle's grave
when I ~as a child
you took my hand
gently and we walked
through a garden of dead
roses. this was your uncle
who was killed for sheep,
you told me.
Andres Montoya
World Piece
On a lonley dirt road
Parks a Yugoslavian car
With a peace with Nicaragua
sign
Carrying a British African Jew
And a Lebanese Chicana
i remember this now,
a bottle of whiskey warming
Chugg ling Portuguese wine
. · my cold chest. i remember
Smoking Jamaican Sensimilla
the spirits that danced
Wishing they had some Colombian
on stones wanting to play
with my infancy, to teach
Listening to Dinah Washington
On the Japanese car stereo.
me everything of wind.
He is groping beneath a Taiwanese
I remember the earth
inviting me to stay a while,
Stitched lacy white bra
to eat from her mouth, to
While she r~ciprocates
converse
With tender strokes inside
with flying beetles and worms, His Korean made briefs
to dance on her womb
After undoing the hand tooled
until the moon was
Italian crafted leather belt
In my stomach.
Which holds up the
#
El Salvadoran sewn Levis
Which were removed after
untieing
The green Mexican manufactured laces
Which hold together the sneakers
Mass produced in Hong Kong
So that the hand adorning the
American Indian turquoise rings
Can reach inside the Guatamalan book bag
And get at the French Tickler.
Larry Hobson
Friday, March 22, 1991
La Voz de Aztlan
3
No job, no food, ·no power
By VIRGINIA ADAME
La Voz Assistant Editor
The Ramos family sits in a dimly
lit room of their home that serves
as both a living room and kitchen.
Emilia Velasco is tall:iig her
mother what the people at the
CSET office have told her. They
had just received a notice from the
electric company that their power
wou ld be shut off for failure to pay
their bill.
Velasco went to the CSET (Community Services Employment
Training) office, along with her
brother, 17-year-old Demetrio Ramos. Herbrothertranslatesfor her.
The two went to see if CSET could
help them with this dilemma. CSEt
said they would be able to provide
the family with some assistance.
The Ramos family is just one of
many families who have been affected by the freeze that hit the
state in December. The freeze not
only robbed the farmers of their
crops, it also robbed the farm laborers of their jobs.
Before the freeze, Velasco
worked in a citrus packing shed.
The packing shed was forced to
close as a result of the freeze.
The family struggles to get by.
Velasco has been looking for work,
without much success.
"The textile factory requires experience, other places want you to
know English or they won't hire
you," Velasco said.
Velasco said she can't do much
about acquiring experience, but
she is going to school to learn
English. Classes are held at the
Catholic church in Farmersville.
The family lives in a labor camp
on the outskirts of Farmersville.
They have been living here for the
past 1O years. The main reason
they have stayed here so long is
that it is about the only place that
they can afford. "We haven't been
able to move out because of the
rent and the deposits," Velasco
said. Camp Leonel is a low income
camp for low income earners.
The family came from Oaxaca
for an opportunity at a better life.
The matriarch of the family, Juana
Ramos, speaks very limited Spanish; her native language is Mixteco
which is a dialect spoken in
Oaxaca.
''The government of Mexico does
not help the nation of Oaxaca,"
Velasco said. According to Velasco, there are no water pumps
and no machines or donkeys to do
the work. She also adds that there
are no free things to help them
over there. "Here education is free,
we want our children to study and
get an education here," Velasco
said.
Another problem the family is
faced with is paying the rent each
month. For each day the rent is
late, the camp office charges the
people $1 Oextra each day the rent
is late being paid. According to Velasco, the office won'ttake any excuses. "They don't understand the
need of the poor," Velasco said.
How long the Ramos family will
be out of work is hard to say. But
until they are able to get on more
stable ground - they will be living
day to day, wondering how they
will make ends meet.
Photos By HECTOR AMEZCUA
Demetria and Emilia sit in the CSET office as a worker explains what assistance they cc:m
provide tor them.
Juana Ramos, the matriarch, listens to what is going en, without understanding the language.
Emilia and her mottmr - two generations - both facing the future
with uncertainty.
Friday, March 22, 1991
La Voz de Aztlan
4
I
OP incre~sed the diversity
of ·s tudents during the &Os
By CRISTINA MEDINA
La Voz Staff Writer
Out of the roots of the civil
rights movement in the '60s
came a program aimed at correcting racial imbalances in the
system of higher education.
The Educational Opportunity
Program (EOP) was created as
an experiment. It focused on
bringing students of color and
those from low income families
into the university setting.
"There was a social awakening of the injustices that had
been occurring in education. In
California, there was pressure
on highereducationtofindways
to open the door for African
are not eligibleforanything else,"
Moheno said.
"Through Congressman
[Calvin] Dooley, who has been
•Continued from Page 1
just excellent with us, he urged
Because agriculture is such a immigration to please waive rehuge part of the valley's eco- quirements because we have
nomic base, the freeze hungry people. So finally in the
squeezed the valley especially end of January, they came out
tight. In the past three months, with a ruling that they could
the CSET offices have seen receive helpwithoutjeapordizing
double the number of people their status.
they usually serve.
"But as the statement reads, it
A large portion of the citrus does not identify any of the procrop was lost due to the freeze. grams. It's just a blank stateAlong with the lost crop, thou- ment. So we're still without any
sandsoffarm laborers'jobswere help. We're operating strictly on
.ost. The majority of ttlese people donations."
liave~t-of-Wprk-smGa ~ ~-What GSET· was-te~tor
end of Oecemoor. F offfiem It Is · from immigration, said Moheno, '
ot all that easy to get another was a statement saying they
b.Manyobstacles standinthier would wa1vethe lmm1grationRe,ay.Onebeingthelackofknow- form and Control Act (IRCA) reg the English language. An- quirements, so that the undocuther 1s the fact that many of mented would be eligible for unese farm laborers are also- urr.. ~ ernptoyment benefits, Medi-Cal,
ccumented worKers.
food stamps and the like. All
This poses fl especially big 'hese programs are still affected
roblem for CSET. The funds · by the amnesty program. ~
1ey have cannot be used to
CSE T has also set up a
elp undocumente d workers.
number of food banks through~
"They are not eligible for un- out Tulare Cou nty to help he
mployment and they are not farm workers, espec1allyt he unigible for a lot of our services. documented, by providing them
-,e way that we are helping Is · witli food. The food that js dis~
eople ate qiving us private do- tributed comes strictly from
ations," said Moheno.
, donations.
"Private donations are very
According to Moheno, Mt.
'"'1ponant to us because th at Whitn·ey High School MEChA
oneywe give it to pay bills, pay donated $1 ,000 worth of food,
,ent to the undocumented who the Lions donated $5,000 worth
CSET
Americans, Chicanos and
American Indians, as the groups
that had been primarily underrepresented in higher education," said EOP Director Robert
Hernandez.
·-In response to local pressure,
Project 17 was established at
CSUF in 1967. It was the stepping stone that set the basic
of food . But these donations are
still not enough. The food goes
fast and more is needed every
day.
"We only give families, once a
week, a 35-pound box of food.
Thirty-five pounds is nothing. We
give them a little bit of flour, a
little bit of beans, a little bit of rice
and maybe a few cans of whatever there is that was donated.
That's all they get for one week.
No milk, no dairy products, no
meats. Nothing. That's all they're
getting," Moheno said.
The majority of the families
who use the services at CSET
~ have been~living day to gay for
"1tm7J?St thm ·momns--:-Tney
don't know if they will have food
on the table th at day, they don't
know if they will be evicted tomorrowfornothavingthemoney
to pay the rent. The asst.tance
provided by CSET is nor enough
for most, said Moheno.
Moheno said a tot a e t•me
she is caugntin.cr1;a1c 2 ito-.
ation where she Is forc&d to
decide if CSET i~ goin 4 to keep
the family from being ✓icted or
if she is going to provide them
. with food first.
With lirruted funds ,o h~lb the
hundreds of people wno come
into the office looking for help,
CSET is stretched to •ts limits.
"We are in .dire need of donations," Moheno said.
J
principal behind what was to and course credits were given.
become EOP.
Counseling and tutorial serv"A committee was put toices were also provided to stugetherto go out to the commu- dents in Project 17.
nity to bring in 17 black and
"It was the basis of what we
_P!OWn students. It was the first
have today. In 1968, the legislauniversity-wid~ effort to recruit tion to establish EOPwasgoing
and offer guidance and support through, and what it did was
to minority students," said Her- stM the Educational Opportunandez.
nity Programetfective in 1969."
"It probably doubled the
The EOP program today
minority student population on
serves two main functions. It
campus. You could count all seeks out and provides access
the African American, Chicano, to higher education to low inand Indian students on campus come families. EOP also prousing yourfingers and toes-it vides special admission to those
was that kind of institution."
underrepresented students that
Project 17 was a forerunner often would never have had a
of EOP at CSUF.
chance to get past high school.
The thrust behind Project 17 EOP students are subject to
was to provide a college expe- orientations, academic advising,
rience during the summerto the personal counseling and help
participating students. Classes . with financial aid.
in English and math we retaken
"Our goals, by providing
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ special admission and retention support services, are to get
students through the university.
We don't want a revolving door,
• Contjnued from page 1
studentsgo through and get out
,
our~sist~nce, ,We lwiw,
- --=~....ew~ AngtomeTitaqfyoTs·a · our services makeadIfference,
ing that above all we're unquali- said Hernandez.
fied."
·•You [CSU Board of Trustees]
Those differences, said Herinsultustimeanotimeagain. We're nandez, include increased
not .going to take it anymore 'Ya graduation rates, higherGPAs,
Basta'. Ya Basta' "Stop the increased student-facilitylnterSearch!"
action and a tendency in students
to hold more units per seLambda Theta Nu President
mester.
_Verpnica.Lopez said.th8 Tr_us.tee§
What began with 17 students
prowied her no reassurance th at that first year, has since grown
th ey would meet any of th e
to become a $3-million program.
committee.'s requeStS.
Hernandez said there are cu r'They're supposed to be plan- rently over 1,600 students in
ning a better curnculum for us." EOP. But because of the popuLooe-z said "We orove all th e way lantythe program has acquired,
from Fresno, and th ey gave us 1O problems with accommodating
minutes, th ey [the Board of Trus- interested students have retees] should be th ere fo r us."
sulted.
"It's an important historica l
stance,"saidCSUF-Collegeof the
• Sequoias representative Manuel
Olgin. "Students, facu lty, staff and
Rally
_
.
nderstanding the role of Chicanos as leaders
on the university level and in the community
By JOE M. TORRES
La Voz Staff Writer
Chicano students learned the role of leadership during the Chicano Leadership Conference which was held earlier this month.
The coordinator of the conference, CLS
instructor Julia Balderas explained at the
beginning of the conference that Chicano
students had an important voice at the university, in our community and in our nation.
Several ideas about leadership were raised
at the beginning of the conference. Good
leadership, said Balderas, involves feeling
good about yourself, being aware of what
makes a strong leader and the understanding that no one becomes a born leader
overnight.
Everbody, said Balderas, is born the same
way. Good leaders are people who think
less of themselves and more of the group. A
leader, she said, is someone who starts out
as an everyday person.
During the conference, the group was assembled into several smaller groups to discuss problems facing Chicano students.
Each group of students emerged with a
problem facing Chicanos.
Three main issues were debated. The first
involved the presidential selection and the
issue of their being no Latino representation
ii nthe presidential candidates, the question
of education, addressing the problems of
high-school drop-outs.
The final topic concerned racism and the
limits Chicanos and Chicanas face on the
job and in politics in terms of the "glass
ceiling" ideology, which says that women
and people of color face a "glass ceiling"
barrier in career advancement.
Through the efforts of speakers and other
fellow faculty the first phase of conference
oriented Chicano students to leadership challenges and tactics.
This orientation was followed by Lea Ybarra, professor of Chicano and Latin American Studies, who spoke about not missing
out on leadership opportunities.
Chicanos need "new leaders to make sure
the old opportunities aren' t taken away,"
she said.
Ybarra said Chicanas receive less than an
adequate education in school and on the
job.
"Giving women more freedom lifts the
pressure off men" - the pressure of always
having to be the provider, Ybarra said.
Other concerns Ybarra spoke of were the
millions of dollars spent for the Persian Gulf
War and the continuing involement in Central and Latin American goverments by the
United States.
Later in the conference, a film titled "The
Break of Dawn" portrayed the challenges
Chicanos face in leadership roles.
The film was a about a young Mexican
immigrant arriving into Los Angeles in the
1920's with his wife, only to face a life of
oppression by Mexican iokens" and Anglo
bureaucrats.
· Pedro Juan Gonzalez, who the film portrayed, was a Mexican baladeer and became a radio pioneer, but during the course
of his rising popularity became accused of a
rape. He was laterexhaulted of the charges.
Gonzalez was jailed at San Quentin for a
period, but his innocence was finally proven.
The film showed graphic portrayals of racist
comments and the racist environment which
existed at that time.
Alex Gonzalez, chair of the psychology
department, explained the role of leadership. He said the role of the followers is
equally important to that of the leader.
"A good leader needs to recognize, they
may not be an effective leader" said Gonzalez
"A good leader is also a good follower"
Physical characteristics are an important
factorto effective leadership. Height, weight
and intelligence are several physical elements of key importance of a effective leadership qualities.
The practices of organizations in group
meetings was another topic introduced by
Reentry counselor Angie Cisneros.
Knowledge of "parlimentary procedures,"
Cisneros said "helps to have the basics."
"Robert's Rules of Order," which describes
parlimetary procedures ,is a very effective
tool for participation in meetings, she said.
Cisneros, also introduced the importance
by-laws have for a group. By-laws are the
"rulr.:s" a group agrees to live by, and they
can be amended or thrown out as a group
sees fit.
California State University, Fresno
Volume XXIII
Issue No.2
Friday, March 22, 1991
Lavoz de Aztlan
Chicanos berate trustees with protest
• More than 50 Chicanos take part in event
By JOE M. TORRES
La Voz Staff Writer
A protest rally bus with ChicanoLatino professors, Chicano student
leaders, and community leaders
went to the CSU Board of Trustees
meeting seeking to stop the presidential search and asking for the
resignation of the chair of the Trustees, William 8. Campbell.
As the bus pulled up to the front
of the Chancellor's office in Long
Beach, protesters moved into the
foreground ofthefacilitywi1h signs,
"Stop the Search" and "Ch ale con
Campbell" which we're a'so
chanted in front of the Conference
Center.
A portion of the meeting opened
to allow Chicano leaders to voice
their opposition to the presidential
search which they have called
'tainted."
Chair of the Chicano and Latin
American studies department Bill
Flores called for an end to the "exclusionary practices" of the CSU
Board of Trustees with Chicanos.
Flores, who chairs the Committee for Hispanic Educational Equity that has been protesting the
search since winter break, organized the rally and bus trip to the
conference.
Earlier this semesteJ~ the commitee issued a statement before
the Academic Senate at CSUF.
The resolution charged that the
presidential search process was
bigoted, racist and invalidated the
"Stop the white Anglo mentality
of saying that above all we're unqualified."
-Ben Benavidez, National President
Mexican-American Political Association
chief aim of affirmative action.
The committee asked that the
entire search be aborted a newly
constituted selection committee be
P.rogran,_
p
.
-"'
~
In honor of Benito
Juarez, Born non March 21 ,
1806 m San Pablo Guelattao,· Oaxaca. His parents
were Indios zapotecos. At
the age ot 4 he was orphaned and wentto live with
his grandmother. Upon her
death he was put into the
care of his uncle, who had
him work as a sheep herder.
In 1818,Juarezwent
to the capital of Oaxaca to
visit his sister, who worked
as a cook in the home of don
Antonio Maza. Juarez did
not know how to speak
Spanish. Since his native
language was zapoteco.
While in the city he made a
favorable impression on don
Antonio Salanueva and don
Domigo Gonzalaz. They
took an interest in Juarez,
and taught him how to
speak, read and write Spanish.
Juarez began his
formal education at Seminario de la Santa Cruz. While
there he studied latin and
philosophy among other
courses. He received his
bachelor's degreee in 1827.
Those nine years were the
formative years in Benito's
life. Theywouldsetthefoundation forthe way that Benito
would become. ·
As a lawyer, Juarez
went to work on the behalf of
Indians, because of his work
he was named "Juez de lo
Civil" in 1841.
Juarez was first
elected President of Mexico
on January 18, 1858. He
served as President until his
unexpected death on July
18,1872.
formed. These same concerns
were addressed at the OSU Board
of Trustees meeting in Long Beach
· __es
.
·
during the 1O minutes alotted to
the equity committee.
"Realities and discrimination
continue to hamper the (search)
process," said Flores._
A remark made by Armando
Arroyo, head of lmpacto 2000,
state Latino organization, su mmec
up the concerns of the many Chi
cane CSU faculty and community
"Taking the action to exclude us
because to exclude us is only to
create a power-kick sItuaticn thats
reminisence of what's hap1 ienmg
to in the Soviet Union," Arroyo said
"The future of California is the future of cultural pluralism."
This sentiment was added to b
Mexican-American Political Association National President Ben
Benavidez. Benavidez said, "Stop
see RALLY Page 4
___- r-- people
in need
.
.
HECTOR AMEZCUA/La Voz de Azt•n
Elpidia Mendoza, a single mother of four children, lost her home to a tomado. The tomado damaged her motorhome in Goshen last month. Mendoza,
who was laid off because of the freeze, has been assisted by the CSET program which provided her family with food and shelter.
By VIRGINIA ADAME
La Voz Assistant Editor
A migrant family walks into the CSET office in search of help. Their
problem - they haven't eaten in two days.
According to Lali Moheno, coordinator at the Community Services
Employment Training (CSET) office, this scene is typical of the
situations the staff at CSET have had to handle in the wake of the
freeze that hit the state in late December.
"CSET ... is the community action programforTulareCounty,"said
Moheno. "CSET has been around for a long time. We used to be part
of another organization called Self-Help Employment Training," she
said.
According to Moheno the job of CSET is to admin isterprograms for
the low-income community in this county.
"Our goal is to help people achieve self sufficiency. In otherwords,
wedon'twantto ju~tgivethem handouts and say, 'Okay, we're going
to pay your bill. Bye.' We like to pay [the) bill, find out why people are
short and refer them. If they need jobs, we refer them to our
employment training section," said Moheno.
The agency gets some money from the Federal Emergency
Management Act (FEMA). FEMA money goes to payforsome of the
emergency services necessitated by natural disasters.
When the tornado struck the small valley community of Goshen,
it destroyed the home of a single Latina motherw~h several children.
She and herfour children needed help. CSET has temporarily set her
up in a motel and is providing her with emergency relief to help get
her back on her feet.
see CSET, Page 4
I
N
s 2POETRY
I
D
E
Poems to ponder
2COMMENTARY 4FEATURE
Food drive for farm
laborers
Diversity through EOP
3NEWS
Family copes in wake of
freeze
Friday, March 22, 1991
La Voz de Aztlan
2
Sorority requests support for
Valley freeze victims
We are writing this letter to
express our feelings about a
serious dilemma facing our
valley and our communities.
We're certain that most people
are aware of the winter freeze
that has damaged and destroyed a vast amount of agriculture, which is what the San
Joaquin Valley thrives upon.
An area that was hard hit is the
citrus industry. Not only were
crops lost, but now over 15,000
citrus workers have lost their
jobs.
Mexican Americans make up
the backbone of the farm labor
industry - they are the ones
who put food on our tables,
however, people don't seem to
be too concerned that because
of the freeze, these workers
cannot afford to put food on
their own tables. Families are
moving
in
togetherto
be able ·
to afford
r e n t
costs.
B e causeso
many
people
are living in one household, it
makes each family ineligible
for welfare benefits. The only
meals their children receive are
the ones provided for them in
school. Outside of the Fresno
Unified School District, these
lunch programs are rarely
available. In the Visalia area,
another tragedy some families
"Oh, w_hat an unfortunate situation," and ignore it because it
is not "their problem," however,
as members of
lambda Sigma
Gamma, a new sorority at CSUF, we
plan to take action
to help feed the
people who, in essence feed us.
With this in mind,
we have organized
a food and clothing
drive to assist farmworking
families in need. A bake sale
was held as an immediate fundraiser to help with the cash
assistance to also buy food and
pay bills and shelter costs.
We realize this isn't enough,
Mexican Americans make up
the backbone of the farm labor
industry-they are the ones who
put food on our tables .....
were affected by was the tornado that damaged their
homes.
It is our concern that these
people are given some support
and assistance. Anyone can
look at the situation and say,
Hector Amezcua - Editor
Virginia Adame - Assistant Editor
Christopher Heredia - Copy Editor
however, we are trying to contribute what we can at this time.
We are doing our part, but we
need more support and donations. If there is anyone who
would also like to do their part
in helping with articles of clothing, non-perishable food items,
or cash donations, please
contact Anissa Rozadilla at
University Outreeach Services,
278-2048. Every little bit counts. ·
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Gloria Hernandez, President
Anissa Rosadilla, Vice President
lambda Sigma Gamma
Sorority
Wr\ ~N /\ M
r.
&~'T,\N& B~,-r~R
'Of:>.S)
Staff Writers:
Cristina Medina
Joe M. Torres
?
Erik Vallejo - Cartoonist
Andres Montoya - Columnist
Daniel Chacon - Poetry Editor
La Voz de Aztlan is published monthly.
Any comments please write to "La Voz de
Aztlan"
MS #42 Keats Campus Building
Fresno, CA 93740
\I\CTlf\115
NEWHOME
this new home
of mine
does not have a
welcome mat
outside the door
the bathroom is
directly across
from our room
I drag in new leaves
and mud
our carpet is
quite soiled.
Her side of the room
is always filled wtth
happiness,
friends, admirers and
whoever else
is interested to
come worship
her White spirit.
I have been made
tofeel like
a stranger in there
why do i not belong
with all of those
who enter without
a care about
anybody else but
her and them?
i remain quiet
sad, lonely
and worthless
such as i was
not meant to be.
when the year is over
iwill move
out and rejoice.
i do not expect
to ever see these
faces again,
nor do they wish
to see mine.
my new home. is a
troubled place
where i sleep,
and stare out the window
watting for the earth
to invite me In.
Lucia Sanchez
,
,
i remember your stone
grip, how you didn't see any of it,
how we walked out of roses
that smelled of your rotting flesh,
my uncle's grave
when I ~as a child
you took my hand
gently and we walked
through a garden of dead
roses. this was your uncle
who was killed for sheep,
you told me.
Andres Montoya
World Piece
On a lonley dirt road
Parks a Yugoslavian car
With a peace with Nicaragua
sign
Carrying a British African Jew
And a Lebanese Chicana
i remember this now,
a bottle of whiskey warming
Chugg ling Portuguese wine
. · my cold chest. i remember
Smoking Jamaican Sensimilla
the spirits that danced
Wishing they had some Colombian
on stones wanting to play
with my infancy, to teach
Listening to Dinah Washington
On the Japanese car stereo.
me everything of wind.
He is groping beneath a Taiwanese
I remember the earth
inviting me to stay a while,
Stitched lacy white bra
to eat from her mouth, to
While she r~ciprocates
converse
With tender strokes inside
with flying beetles and worms, His Korean made briefs
to dance on her womb
After undoing the hand tooled
until the moon was
Italian crafted leather belt
In my stomach.
Which holds up the
#
El Salvadoran sewn Levis
Which were removed after
untieing
The green Mexican manufactured laces
Which hold together the sneakers
Mass produced in Hong Kong
So that the hand adorning the
American Indian turquoise rings
Can reach inside the Guatamalan book bag
And get at the French Tickler.
Larry Hobson
Friday, March 22, 1991
La Voz de Aztlan
3
No job, no food, ·no power
By VIRGINIA ADAME
La Voz Assistant Editor
The Ramos family sits in a dimly
lit room of their home that serves
as both a living room and kitchen.
Emilia Velasco is tall:iig her
mother what the people at the
CSET office have told her. They
had just received a notice from the
electric company that their power
wou ld be shut off for failure to pay
their bill.
Velasco went to the CSET (Community Services Employment
Training) office, along with her
brother, 17-year-old Demetrio Ramos. Herbrothertranslatesfor her.
The two went to see if CSET could
help them with this dilemma. CSEt
said they would be able to provide
the family with some assistance.
The Ramos family is just one of
many families who have been affected by the freeze that hit the
state in December. The freeze not
only robbed the farmers of their
crops, it also robbed the farm laborers of their jobs.
Before the freeze, Velasco
worked in a citrus packing shed.
The packing shed was forced to
close as a result of the freeze.
The family struggles to get by.
Velasco has been looking for work,
without much success.
"The textile factory requires experience, other places want you to
know English or they won't hire
you," Velasco said.
Velasco said she can't do much
about acquiring experience, but
she is going to school to learn
English. Classes are held at the
Catholic church in Farmersville.
The family lives in a labor camp
on the outskirts of Farmersville.
They have been living here for the
past 1O years. The main reason
they have stayed here so long is
that it is about the only place that
they can afford. "We haven't been
able to move out because of the
rent and the deposits," Velasco
said. Camp Leonel is a low income
camp for low income earners.
The family came from Oaxaca
for an opportunity at a better life.
The matriarch of the family, Juana
Ramos, speaks very limited Spanish; her native language is Mixteco
which is a dialect spoken in
Oaxaca.
''The government of Mexico does
not help the nation of Oaxaca,"
Velasco said. According to Velasco, there are no water pumps
and no machines or donkeys to do
the work. She also adds that there
are no free things to help them
over there. "Here education is free,
we want our children to study and
get an education here," Velasco
said.
Another problem the family is
faced with is paying the rent each
month. For each day the rent is
late, the camp office charges the
people $1 Oextra each day the rent
is late being paid. According to Velasco, the office won'ttake any excuses. "They don't understand the
need of the poor," Velasco said.
How long the Ramos family will
be out of work is hard to say. But
until they are able to get on more
stable ground - they will be living
day to day, wondering how they
will make ends meet.
Photos By HECTOR AMEZCUA
Demetria and Emilia sit in the CSET office as a worker explains what assistance they cc:m
provide tor them.
Juana Ramos, the matriarch, listens to what is going en, without understanding the language.
Emilia and her mottmr - two generations - both facing the future
with uncertainty.
Friday, March 22, 1991
La Voz de Aztlan
4
I
OP incre~sed the diversity
of ·s tudents during the &Os
By CRISTINA MEDINA
La Voz Staff Writer
Out of the roots of the civil
rights movement in the '60s
came a program aimed at correcting racial imbalances in the
system of higher education.
The Educational Opportunity
Program (EOP) was created as
an experiment. It focused on
bringing students of color and
those from low income families
into the university setting.
"There was a social awakening of the injustices that had
been occurring in education. In
California, there was pressure
on highereducationtofindways
to open the door for African
are not eligibleforanything else,"
Moheno said.
"Through Congressman
[Calvin] Dooley, who has been
•Continued from Page 1
just excellent with us, he urged
Because agriculture is such a immigration to please waive rehuge part of the valley's eco- quirements because we have
nomic base, the freeze hungry people. So finally in the
squeezed the valley especially end of January, they came out
tight. In the past three months, with a ruling that they could
the CSET offices have seen receive helpwithoutjeapordizing
double the number of people their status.
they usually serve.
"But as the statement reads, it
A large portion of the citrus does not identify any of the procrop was lost due to the freeze. grams. It's just a blank stateAlong with the lost crop, thou- ment. So we're still without any
sandsoffarm laborers'jobswere help. We're operating strictly on
.ost. The majority of ttlese people donations."
liave~t-of-Wprk-smGa ~ ~-What GSET· was-te~tor
end of Oecemoor. F offfiem It Is · from immigration, said Moheno, '
ot all that easy to get another was a statement saying they
b.Manyobstacles standinthier would wa1vethe lmm1grationRe,ay.Onebeingthelackofknow- form and Control Act (IRCA) reg the English language. An- quirements, so that the undocuther 1s the fact that many of mented would be eligible for unese farm laborers are also- urr.. ~ ernptoyment benefits, Medi-Cal,
ccumented worKers.
food stamps and the like. All
This poses fl especially big 'hese programs are still affected
roblem for CSET. The funds · by the amnesty program. ~
1ey have cannot be used to
CSE T has also set up a
elp undocumente d workers.
number of food banks through~
"They are not eligible for un- out Tulare Cou nty to help he
mployment and they are not farm workers, espec1allyt he unigible for a lot of our services. documented, by providing them
-,e way that we are helping Is · witli food. The food that js dis~
eople ate qiving us private do- tributed comes strictly from
ations," said Moheno.
, donations.
"Private donations are very
According to Moheno, Mt.
'"'1ponant to us because th at Whitn·ey High School MEChA
oneywe give it to pay bills, pay donated $1 ,000 worth of food,
,ent to the undocumented who the Lions donated $5,000 worth
CSET
Americans, Chicanos and
American Indians, as the groups
that had been primarily underrepresented in higher education," said EOP Director Robert
Hernandez.
·-In response to local pressure,
Project 17 was established at
CSUF in 1967. It was the stepping stone that set the basic
of food . But these donations are
still not enough. The food goes
fast and more is needed every
day.
"We only give families, once a
week, a 35-pound box of food.
Thirty-five pounds is nothing. We
give them a little bit of flour, a
little bit of beans, a little bit of rice
and maybe a few cans of whatever there is that was donated.
That's all they get for one week.
No milk, no dairy products, no
meats. Nothing. That's all they're
getting," Moheno said.
The majority of the families
who use the services at CSET
~ have been~living day to gay for
"1tm7J?St thm ·momns--:-Tney
don't know if they will have food
on the table th at day, they don't
know if they will be evicted tomorrowfornothavingthemoney
to pay the rent. The asst.tance
provided by CSET is nor enough
for most, said Moheno.
Moheno said a tot a e t•me
she is caugntin.cr1;a1c 2 ito-.
ation where she Is forc&d to
decide if CSET i~ goin 4 to keep
the family from being ✓icted or
if she is going to provide them
. with food first.
With lirruted funds ,o h~lb the
hundreds of people wno come
into the office looking for help,
CSET is stretched to •ts limits.
"We are in .dire need of donations," Moheno said.
J
principal behind what was to and course credits were given.
become EOP.
Counseling and tutorial serv"A committee was put toices were also provided to stugetherto go out to the commu- dents in Project 17.
nity to bring in 17 black and
"It was the basis of what we
_P!OWn students. It was the first
have today. In 1968, the legislauniversity-wid~ effort to recruit tion to establish EOPwasgoing
and offer guidance and support through, and what it did was
to minority students," said Her- stM the Educational Opportunandez.
nity Programetfective in 1969."
"It probably doubled the
The EOP program today
minority student population on
serves two main functions. It
campus. You could count all seeks out and provides access
the African American, Chicano, to higher education to low inand Indian students on campus come families. EOP also prousing yourfingers and toes-it vides special admission to those
was that kind of institution."
underrepresented students that
Project 17 was a forerunner often would never have had a
of EOP at CSUF.
chance to get past high school.
The thrust behind Project 17 EOP students are subject to
was to provide a college expe- orientations, academic advising,
rience during the summerto the personal counseling and help
participating students. Classes . with financial aid.
in English and math we retaken
"Our goals, by providing
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ special admission and retention support services, are to get
students through the university.
We don't want a revolving door,
• Contjnued from page 1
studentsgo through and get out
,
our~sist~nce, ,We lwiw,
- --=~....ew~ AngtomeTitaqfyoTs·a · our services makeadIfference,
ing that above all we're unquali- said Hernandez.
fied."
·•You [CSU Board of Trustees]
Those differences, said Herinsultustimeanotimeagain. We're nandez, include increased
not .going to take it anymore 'Ya graduation rates, higherGPAs,
Basta'. Ya Basta' "Stop the increased student-facilitylnterSearch!"
action and a tendency in students
to hold more units per seLambda Theta Nu President
mester.
_Verpnica.Lopez said.th8 Tr_us.tee§
What began with 17 students
prowied her no reassurance th at that first year, has since grown
th ey would meet any of th e
to become a $3-million program.
committee.'s requeStS.
Hernandez said there are cu r'They're supposed to be plan- rently over 1,600 students in
ning a better curnculum for us." EOP. But because of the popuLooe-z said "We orove all th e way lantythe program has acquired,
from Fresno, and th ey gave us 1O problems with accommodating
minutes, th ey [the Board of Trus- interested students have retees] should be th ere fo r us."
sulted.
"It's an important historica l
stance,"saidCSUF-Collegeof the
• Sequoias representative Manuel
Olgin. "Students, facu lty, staff and
Rally
_
.
nderstanding the role of Chicanos as leaders
on the university level and in the community
By JOE M. TORRES
La Voz Staff Writer
Chicano students learned the role of leadership during the Chicano Leadership Conference which was held earlier this month.
The coordinator of the conference, CLS
instructor Julia Balderas explained at the
beginning of the conference that Chicano
students had an important voice at the university, in our community and in our nation.
Several ideas about leadership were raised
at the beginning of the conference. Good
leadership, said Balderas, involves feeling
good about yourself, being aware of what
makes a strong leader and the understanding that no one becomes a born leader
overnight.
Everbody, said Balderas, is born the same
way. Good leaders are people who think
less of themselves and more of the group. A
leader, she said, is someone who starts out
as an everyday person.
During the conference, the group was assembled into several smaller groups to discuss problems facing Chicano students.
Each group of students emerged with a
problem facing Chicanos.
Three main issues were debated. The first
involved the presidential selection and the
issue of their being no Latino representation
ii nthe presidential candidates, the question
of education, addressing the problems of
high-school drop-outs.
The final topic concerned racism and the
limits Chicanos and Chicanas face on the
job and in politics in terms of the "glass
ceiling" ideology, which says that women
and people of color face a "glass ceiling"
barrier in career advancement.
Through the efforts of speakers and other
fellow faculty the first phase of conference
oriented Chicano students to leadership challenges and tactics.
This orientation was followed by Lea Ybarra, professor of Chicano and Latin American Studies, who spoke about not missing
out on leadership opportunities.
Chicanos need "new leaders to make sure
the old opportunities aren' t taken away,"
she said.
Ybarra said Chicanas receive less than an
adequate education in school and on the
job.
"Giving women more freedom lifts the
pressure off men" - the pressure of always
having to be the provider, Ybarra said.
Other concerns Ybarra spoke of were the
millions of dollars spent for the Persian Gulf
War and the continuing involement in Central and Latin American goverments by the
United States.
Later in the conference, a film titled "The
Break of Dawn" portrayed the challenges
Chicanos face in leadership roles.
The film was a about a young Mexican
immigrant arriving into Los Angeles in the
1920's with his wife, only to face a life of
oppression by Mexican iokens" and Anglo
bureaucrats.
· Pedro Juan Gonzalez, who the film portrayed, was a Mexican baladeer and became a radio pioneer, but during the course
of his rising popularity became accused of a
rape. He was laterexhaulted of the charges.
Gonzalez was jailed at San Quentin for a
period, but his innocence was finally proven.
The film showed graphic portrayals of racist
comments and the racist environment which
existed at that time.
Alex Gonzalez, chair of the psychology
department, explained the role of leadership. He said the role of the followers is
equally important to that of the leader.
"A good leader needs to recognize, they
may not be an effective leader" said Gonzalez
"A good leader is also a good follower"
Physical characteristics are an important
factorto effective leadership. Height, weight
and intelligence are several physical elements of key importance of a effective leadership qualities.
The practices of organizations in group
meetings was another topic introduced by
Reentry counselor Angie Cisneros.
Knowledge of "parlimentary procedures,"
Cisneros said "helps to have the basics."
"Robert's Rules of Order," which describes
parlimetary procedures ,is a very effective
tool for participation in meetings, she said.
Cisneros, also introduced the importance
by-laws have for a group. By-laws are the
"rulr.:s" a group agrees to live by, and they
can be amended or thrown out as a group
sees fit.
Volume XXIII
Issue No.2
Friday, March 22, 1991
Lavoz de Aztlan
Chicanos berate trustees with protest
• More than 50 Chicanos take part in event
By JOE M. TORRES
La Voz Staff Writer
A protest rally bus with ChicanoLatino professors, Chicano student
leaders, and community leaders
went to the CSU Board of Trustees
meeting seeking to stop the presidential search and asking for the
resignation of the chair of the Trustees, William 8. Campbell.
As the bus pulled up to the front
of the Chancellor's office in Long
Beach, protesters moved into the
foreground ofthefacilitywi1h signs,
"Stop the Search" and "Ch ale con
Campbell" which we're a'so
chanted in front of the Conference
Center.
A portion of the meeting opened
to allow Chicano leaders to voice
their opposition to the presidential
search which they have called
'tainted."
Chair of the Chicano and Latin
American studies department Bill
Flores called for an end to the "exclusionary practices" of the CSU
Board of Trustees with Chicanos.
Flores, who chairs the Committee for Hispanic Educational Equity that has been protesting the
search since winter break, organized the rally and bus trip to the
conference.
Earlier this semesteJ~ the commitee issued a statement before
the Academic Senate at CSUF.
The resolution charged that the
presidential search process was
bigoted, racist and invalidated the
"Stop the white Anglo mentality
of saying that above all we're unqualified."
-Ben Benavidez, National President
Mexican-American Political Association
chief aim of affirmative action.
The committee asked that the
entire search be aborted a newly
constituted selection committee be
P.rogran,_
p
.
-"'
~
In honor of Benito
Juarez, Born non March 21 ,
1806 m San Pablo Guelattao,· Oaxaca. His parents
were Indios zapotecos. At
the age ot 4 he was orphaned and wentto live with
his grandmother. Upon her
death he was put into the
care of his uncle, who had
him work as a sheep herder.
In 1818,Juarezwent
to the capital of Oaxaca to
visit his sister, who worked
as a cook in the home of don
Antonio Maza. Juarez did
not know how to speak
Spanish. Since his native
language was zapoteco.
While in the city he made a
favorable impression on don
Antonio Salanueva and don
Domigo Gonzalaz. They
took an interest in Juarez,
and taught him how to
speak, read and write Spanish.
Juarez began his
formal education at Seminario de la Santa Cruz. While
there he studied latin and
philosophy among other
courses. He received his
bachelor's degreee in 1827.
Those nine years were the
formative years in Benito's
life. Theywouldsetthefoundation forthe way that Benito
would become. ·
As a lawyer, Juarez
went to work on the behalf of
Indians, because of his work
he was named "Juez de lo
Civil" in 1841.
Juarez was first
elected President of Mexico
on January 18, 1858. He
served as President until his
unexpected death on July
18,1872.
formed. These same concerns
were addressed at the OSU Board
of Trustees meeting in Long Beach
· __es
.
·
during the 1O minutes alotted to
the equity committee.
"Realities and discrimination
continue to hamper the (search)
process," said Flores._
A remark made by Armando
Arroyo, head of lmpacto 2000,
state Latino organization, su mmec
up the concerns of the many Chi
cane CSU faculty and community
"Taking the action to exclude us
because to exclude us is only to
create a power-kick sItuaticn thats
reminisence of what's hap1 ienmg
to in the Soviet Union," Arroyo said
"The future of California is the future of cultural pluralism."
This sentiment was added to b
Mexican-American Political Association National President Ben
Benavidez. Benavidez said, "Stop
see RALLY Page 4
___- r-- people
in need
.
.
HECTOR AMEZCUA/La Voz de Azt•n
Elpidia Mendoza, a single mother of four children, lost her home to a tomado. The tomado damaged her motorhome in Goshen last month. Mendoza,
who was laid off because of the freeze, has been assisted by the CSET program which provided her family with food and shelter.
By VIRGINIA ADAME
La Voz Assistant Editor
A migrant family walks into the CSET office in search of help. Their
problem - they haven't eaten in two days.
According to Lali Moheno, coordinator at the Community Services
Employment Training (CSET) office, this scene is typical of the
situations the staff at CSET have had to handle in the wake of the
freeze that hit the state in late December.
"CSET ... is the community action programforTulareCounty,"said
Moheno. "CSET has been around for a long time. We used to be part
of another organization called Self-Help Employment Training," she
said.
According to Moheno the job of CSET is to admin isterprograms for
the low-income community in this county.
"Our goal is to help people achieve self sufficiency. In otherwords,
wedon'twantto ju~tgivethem handouts and say, 'Okay, we're going
to pay your bill. Bye.' We like to pay [the) bill, find out why people are
short and refer them. If they need jobs, we refer them to our
employment training section," said Moheno.
The agency gets some money from the Federal Emergency
Management Act (FEMA). FEMA money goes to payforsome of the
emergency services necessitated by natural disasters.
When the tornado struck the small valley community of Goshen,
it destroyed the home of a single Latina motherw~h several children.
She and herfour children needed help. CSET has temporarily set her
up in a motel and is providing her with emergency relief to help get
her back on her feet.
see CSET, Page 4
I
N
s 2POETRY
I
D
E
Poems to ponder
2COMMENTARY 4FEATURE
Food drive for farm
laborers
Diversity through EOP
3NEWS
Family copes in wake of
freeze
Friday, March 22, 1991
La Voz de Aztlan
2
Sorority requests support for
Valley freeze victims
We are writing this letter to
express our feelings about a
serious dilemma facing our
valley and our communities.
We're certain that most people
are aware of the winter freeze
that has damaged and destroyed a vast amount of agriculture, which is what the San
Joaquin Valley thrives upon.
An area that was hard hit is the
citrus industry. Not only were
crops lost, but now over 15,000
citrus workers have lost their
jobs.
Mexican Americans make up
the backbone of the farm labor
industry - they are the ones
who put food on our tables,
however, people don't seem to
be too concerned that because
of the freeze, these workers
cannot afford to put food on
their own tables. Families are
moving
in
togetherto
be able ·
to afford
r e n t
costs.
B e causeso
many
people
are living in one household, it
makes each family ineligible
for welfare benefits. The only
meals their children receive are
the ones provided for them in
school. Outside of the Fresno
Unified School District, these
lunch programs are rarely
available. In the Visalia area,
another tragedy some families
"Oh, w_hat an unfortunate situation," and ignore it because it
is not "their problem," however,
as members of
lambda Sigma
Gamma, a new sorority at CSUF, we
plan to take action
to help feed the
people who, in essence feed us.
With this in mind,
we have organized
a food and clothing
drive to assist farmworking
families in need. A bake sale
was held as an immediate fundraiser to help with the cash
assistance to also buy food and
pay bills and shelter costs.
We realize this isn't enough,
Mexican Americans make up
the backbone of the farm labor
industry-they are the ones who
put food on our tables .....
were affected by was the tornado that damaged their
homes.
It is our concern that these
people are given some support
and assistance. Anyone can
look at the situation and say,
Hector Amezcua - Editor
Virginia Adame - Assistant Editor
Christopher Heredia - Copy Editor
however, we are trying to contribute what we can at this time.
We are doing our part, but we
need more support and donations. If there is anyone who
would also like to do their part
in helping with articles of clothing, non-perishable food items,
or cash donations, please
contact Anissa Rozadilla at
University Outreeach Services,
278-2048. Every little bit counts. ·
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Gloria Hernandez, President
Anissa Rosadilla, Vice President
lambda Sigma Gamma
Sorority
Wr\ ~N /\ M
r.
&~'T,\N& B~,-r~R
'Of:>.S)
Staff Writers:
Cristina Medina
Joe M. Torres
?
Erik Vallejo - Cartoonist
Andres Montoya - Columnist
Daniel Chacon - Poetry Editor
La Voz de Aztlan is published monthly.
Any comments please write to "La Voz de
Aztlan"
MS #42 Keats Campus Building
Fresno, CA 93740
\I\CTlf\115
NEWHOME
this new home
of mine
does not have a
welcome mat
outside the door
the bathroom is
directly across
from our room
I drag in new leaves
and mud
our carpet is
quite soiled.
Her side of the room
is always filled wtth
happiness,
friends, admirers and
whoever else
is interested to
come worship
her White spirit.
I have been made
tofeel like
a stranger in there
why do i not belong
with all of those
who enter without
a care about
anybody else but
her and them?
i remain quiet
sad, lonely
and worthless
such as i was
not meant to be.
when the year is over
iwill move
out and rejoice.
i do not expect
to ever see these
faces again,
nor do they wish
to see mine.
my new home. is a
troubled place
where i sleep,
and stare out the window
watting for the earth
to invite me In.
Lucia Sanchez
,
,
i remember your stone
grip, how you didn't see any of it,
how we walked out of roses
that smelled of your rotting flesh,
my uncle's grave
when I ~as a child
you took my hand
gently and we walked
through a garden of dead
roses. this was your uncle
who was killed for sheep,
you told me.
Andres Montoya
World Piece
On a lonley dirt road
Parks a Yugoslavian car
With a peace with Nicaragua
sign
Carrying a British African Jew
And a Lebanese Chicana
i remember this now,
a bottle of whiskey warming
Chugg ling Portuguese wine
. · my cold chest. i remember
Smoking Jamaican Sensimilla
the spirits that danced
Wishing they had some Colombian
on stones wanting to play
with my infancy, to teach
Listening to Dinah Washington
On the Japanese car stereo.
me everything of wind.
He is groping beneath a Taiwanese
I remember the earth
inviting me to stay a while,
Stitched lacy white bra
to eat from her mouth, to
While she r~ciprocates
converse
With tender strokes inside
with flying beetles and worms, His Korean made briefs
to dance on her womb
After undoing the hand tooled
until the moon was
Italian crafted leather belt
In my stomach.
Which holds up the
#
El Salvadoran sewn Levis
Which were removed after
untieing
The green Mexican manufactured laces
Which hold together the sneakers
Mass produced in Hong Kong
So that the hand adorning the
American Indian turquoise rings
Can reach inside the Guatamalan book bag
And get at the French Tickler.
Larry Hobson
Friday, March 22, 1991
La Voz de Aztlan
3
No job, no food, ·no power
By VIRGINIA ADAME
La Voz Assistant Editor
The Ramos family sits in a dimly
lit room of their home that serves
as both a living room and kitchen.
Emilia Velasco is tall:iig her
mother what the people at the
CSET office have told her. They
had just received a notice from the
electric company that their power
wou ld be shut off for failure to pay
their bill.
Velasco went to the CSET (Community Services Employment
Training) office, along with her
brother, 17-year-old Demetrio Ramos. Herbrothertranslatesfor her.
The two went to see if CSET could
help them with this dilemma. CSEt
said they would be able to provide
the family with some assistance.
The Ramos family is just one of
many families who have been affected by the freeze that hit the
state in December. The freeze not
only robbed the farmers of their
crops, it also robbed the farm laborers of their jobs.
Before the freeze, Velasco
worked in a citrus packing shed.
The packing shed was forced to
close as a result of the freeze.
The family struggles to get by.
Velasco has been looking for work,
without much success.
"The textile factory requires experience, other places want you to
know English or they won't hire
you," Velasco said.
Velasco said she can't do much
about acquiring experience, but
she is going to school to learn
English. Classes are held at the
Catholic church in Farmersville.
The family lives in a labor camp
on the outskirts of Farmersville.
They have been living here for the
past 1O years. The main reason
they have stayed here so long is
that it is about the only place that
they can afford. "We haven't been
able to move out because of the
rent and the deposits," Velasco
said. Camp Leonel is a low income
camp for low income earners.
The family came from Oaxaca
for an opportunity at a better life.
The matriarch of the family, Juana
Ramos, speaks very limited Spanish; her native language is Mixteco
which is a dialect spoken in
Oaxaca.
''The government of Mexico does
not help the nation of Oaxaca,"
Velasco said. According to Velasco, there are no water pumps
and no machines or donkeys to do
the work. She also adds that there
are no free things to help them
over there. "Here education is free,
we want our children to study and
get an education here," Velasco
said.
Another problem the family is
faced with is paying the rent each
month. For each day the rent is
late, the camp office charges the
people $1 Oextra each day the rent
is late being paid. According to Velasco, the office won'ttake any excuses. "They don't understand the
need of the poor," Velasco said.
How long the Ramos family will
be out of work is hard to say. But
until they are able to get on more
stable ground - they will be living
day to day, wondering how they
will make ends meet.
Photos By HECTOR AMEZCUA
Demetria and Emilia sit in the CSET office as a worker explains what assistance they cc:m
provide tor them.
Juana Ramos, the matriarch, listens to what is going en, without understanding the language.
Emilia and her mottmr - two generations - both facing the future
with uncertainty.
Friday, March 22, 1991
La Voz de Aztlan
4
I
OP incre~sed the diversity
of ·s tudents during the &Os
By CRISTINA MEDINA
La Voz Staff Writer
Out of the roots of the civil
rights movement in the '60s
came a program aimed at correcting racial imbalances in the
system of higher education.
The Educational Opportunity
Program (EOP) was created as
an experiment. It focused on
bringing students of color and
those from low income families
into the university setting.
"There was a social awakening of the injustices that had
been occurring in education. In
California, there was pressure
on highereducationtofindways
to open the door for African
are not eligibleforanything else,"
Moheno said.
"Through Congressman
[Calvin] Dooley, who has been
•Continued from Page 1
just excellent with us, he urged
Because agriculture is such a immigration to please waive rehuge part of the valley's eco- quirements because we have
nomic base, the freeze hungry people. So finally in the
squeezed the valley especially end of January, they came out
tight. In the past three months, with a ruling that they could
the CSET offices have seen receive helpwithoutjeapordizing
double the number of people their status.
they usually serve.
"But as the statement reads, it
A large portion of the citrus does not identify any of the procrop was lost due to the freeze. grams. It's just a blank stateAlong with the lost crop, thou- ment. So we're still without any
sandsoffarm laborers'jobswere help. We're operating strictly on
.ost. The majority of ttlese people donations."
liave~t-of-Wprk-smGa ~ ~-What GSET· was-te~tor
end of Oecemoor. F offfiem It Is · from immigration, said Moheno, '
ot all that easy to get another was a statement saying they
b.Manyobstacles standinthier would wa1vethe lmm1grationRe,ay.Onebeingthelackofknow- form and Control Act (IRCA) reg the English language. An- quirements, so that the undocuther 1s the fact that many of mented would be eligible for unese farm laborers are also- urr.. ~ ernptoyment benefits, Medi-Cal,
ccumented worKers.
food stamps and the like. All
This poses fl especially big 'hese programs are still affected
roblem for CSET. The funds · by the amnesty program. ~
1ey have cannot be used to
CSE T has also set up a
elp undocumente d workers.
number of food banks through~
"They are not eligible for un- out Tulare Cou nty to help he
mployment and they are not farm workers, espec1allyt he unigible for a lot of our services. documented, by providing them
-,e way that we are helping Is · witli food. The food that js dis~
eople ate qiving us private do- tributed comes strictly from
ations," said Moheno.
, donations.
"Private donations are very
According to Moheno, Mt.
'"'1ponant to us because th at Whitn·ey High School MEChA
oneywe give it to pay bills, pay donated $1 ,000 worth of food,
,ent to the undocumented who the Lions donated $5,000 worth
CSET
Americans, Chicanos and
American Indians, as the groups
that had been primarily underrepresented in higher education," said EOP Director Robert
Hernandez.
·-In response to local pressure,
Project 17 was established at
CSUF in 1967. It was the stepping stone that set the basic
of food . But these donations are
still not enough. The food goes
fast and more is needed every
day.
"We only give families, once a
week, a 35-pound box of food.
Thirty-five pounds is nothing. We
give them a little bit of flour, a
little bit of beans, a little bit of rice
and maybe a few cans of whatever there is that was donated.
That's all they get for one week.
No milk, no dairy products, no
meats. Nothing. That's all they're
getting," Moheno said.
The majority of the families
who use the services at CSET
~ have been~living day to gay for
"1tm7J?St thm ·momns--:-Tney
don't know if they will have food
on the table th at day, they don't
know if they will be evicted tomorrowfornothavingthemoney
to pay the rent. The asst.tance
provided by CSET is nor enough
for most, said Moheno.
Moheno said a tot a e t•me
she is caugntin.cr1;a1c 2 ito-.
ation where she Is forc&d to
decide if CSET i~ goin 4 to keep
the family from being ✓icted or
if she is going to provide them
. with food first.
With lirruted funds ,o h~lb the
hundreds of people wno come
into the office looking for help,
CSET is stretched to •ts limits.
"We are in .dire need of donations," Moheno said.
J
principal behind what was to and course credits were given.
become EOP.
Counseling and tutorial serv"A committee was put toices were also provided to stugetherto go out to the commu- dents in Project 17.
nity to bring in 17 black and
"It was the basis of what we
_P!OWn students. It was the first
have today. In 1968, the legislauniversity-wid~ effort to recruit tion to establish EOPwasgoing
and offer guidance and support through, and what it did was
to minority students," said Her- stM the Educational Opportunandez.
nity Programetfective in 1969."
"It probably doubled the
The EOP program today
minority student population on
serves two main functions. It
campus. You could count all seeks out and provides access
the African American, Chicano, to higher education to low inand Indian students on campus come families. EOP also prousing yourfingers and toes-it vides special admission to those
was that kind of institution."
underrepresented students that
Project 17 was a forerunner often would never have had a
of EOP at CSUF.
chance to get past high school.
The thrust behind Project 17 EOP students are subject to
was to provide a college expe- orientations, academic advising,
rience during the summerto the personal counseling and help
participating students. Classes . with financial aid.
in English and math we retaken
"Our goals, by providing
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ special admission and retention support services, are to get
students through the university.
We don't want a revolving door,
• Contjnued from page 1
studentsgo through and get out
,
our~sist~nce, ,We lwiw,
- --=~....ew~ AngtomeTitaqfyoTs·a · our services makeadIfference,
ing that above all we're unquali- said Hernandez.
fied."
·•You [CSU Board of Trustees]
Those differences, said Herinsultustimeanotimeagain. We're nandez, include increased
not .going to take it anymore 'Ya graduation rates, higherGPAs,
Basta'. Ya Basta' "Stop the increased student-facilitylnterSearch!"
action and a tendency in students
to hold more units per seLambda Theta Nu President
mester.
_Verpnica.Lopez said.th8 Tr_us.tee§
What began with 17 students
prowied her no reassurance th at that first year, has since grown
th ey would meet any of th e
to become a $3-million program.
committee.'s requeStS.
Hernandez said there are cu r'They're supposed to be plan- rently over 1,600 students in
ning a better curnculum for us." EOP. But because of the popuLooe-z said "We orove all th e way lantythe program has acquired,
from Fresno, and th ey gave us 1O problems with accommodating
minutes, th ey [the Board of Trus- interested students have retees] should be th ere fo r us."
sulted.
"It's an important historica l
stance,"saidCSUF-Collegeof the
• Sequoias representative Manuel
Olgin. "Students, facu lty, staff and
Rally
_
.
nderstanding the role of Chicanos as leaders
on the university level and in the community
By JOE M. TORRES
La Voz Staff Writer
Chicano students learned the role of leadership during the Chicano Leadership Conference which was held earlier this month.
The coordinator of the conference, CLS
instructor Julia Balderas explained at the
beginning of the conference that Chicano
students had an important voice at the university, in our community and in our nation.
Several ideas about leadership were raised
at the beginning of the conference. Good
leadership, said Balderas, involves feeling
good about yourself, being aware of what
makes a strong leader and the understanding that no one becomes a born leader
overnight.
Everbody, said Balderas, is born the same
way. Good leaders are people who think
less of themselves and more of the group. A
leader, she said, is someone who starts out
as an everyday person.
During the conference, the group was assembled into several smaller groups to discuss problems facing Chicano students.
Each group of students emerged with a
problem facing Chicanos.
Three main issues were debated. The first
involved the presidential selection and the
issue of their being no Latino representation
ii nthe presidential candidates, the question
of education, addressing the problems of
high-school drop-outs.
The final topic concerned racism and the
limits Chicanos and Chicanas face on the
job and in politics in terms of the "glass
ceiling" ideology, which says that women
and people of color face a "glass ceiling"
barrier in career advancement.
Through the efforts of speakers and other
fellow faculty the first phase of conference
oriented Chicano students to leadership challenges and tactics.
This orientation was followed by Lea Ybarra, professor of Chicano and Latin American Studies, who spoke about not missing
out on leadership opportunities.
Chicanos need "new leaders to make sure
the old opportunities aren' t taken away,"
she said.
Ybarra said Chicanas receive less than an
adequate education in school and on the
job.
"Giving women more freedom lifts the
pressure off men" - the pressure of always
having to be the provider, Ybarra said.
Other concerns Ybarra spoke of were the
millions of dollars spent for the Persian Gulf
War and the continuing involement in Central and Latin American goverments by the
United States.
Later in the conference, a film titled "The
Break of Dawn" portrayed the challenges
Chicanos face in leadership roles.
The film was a about a young Mexican
immigrant arriving into Los Angeles in the
1920's with his wife, only to face a life of
oppression by Mexican iokens" and Anglo
bureaucrats.
· Pedro Juan Gonzalez, who the film portrayed, was a Mexican baladeer and became a radio pioneer, but during the course
of his rising popularity became accused of a
rape. He was laterexhaulted of the charges.
Gonzalez was jailed at San Quentin for a
period, but his innocence was finally proven.
The film showed graphic portrayals of racist
comments and the racist environment which
existed at that time.
Alex Gonzalez, chair of the psychology
department, explained the role of leadership. He said the role of the followers is
equally important to that of the leader.
"A good leader needs to recognize, they
may not be an effective leader" said Gonzalez
"A good leader is also a good follower"
Physical characteristics are an important
factorto effective leadership. Height, weight
and intelligence are several physical elements of key importance of a effective leadership qualities.
The practices of organizations in group
meetings was another topic introduced by
Reentry counselor Angie Cisneros.
Knowledge of "parlimentary procedures,"
Cisneros said "helps to have the basics."
"Robert's Rules of Order," which describes
parlimetary procedures ,is a very effective
tool for participation in meetings, she said.
Cisneros, also introduced the importance
by-laws have for a group. By-laws are the
"rulr.:s" a group agrees to live by, and they
can be amended or thrown out as a group
sees fit.